New Zealand Film
Welcome to the New Zealand Film archive. Most New Zealand films have been made by small independent film-makers, often on a low budget and sometimes with sponsorship from the private sector or the NZ Film Commission. Only recently have international film companies used the New Zealand film industry as a source of feature films. However, the independent tradition of filmmaking in New Zealand dates back to the end of the 19th century, when film was first shot in New Zealand. The first feature film made in Godzone was "Hinemoa". It premiered on August 1, 1914 at the Lyric Theatre, Auckland.
The documentary film Cinema of Unease, by Sam Neill, presents an accessible history of film in New Zealand.
Most films are able to be accessed below, however some Films have been seperated into sub-categories, ie "New Zealand Documentaries", "Short Films" and "Peter Jackson Directs". The mother-lode can be prospected below.
Right: An artists rendition of Geoff Murphy's "Goodbye Pork Pie".
Beyond the Edge (2013)
6.8/10
Director: Leanne Pooley
"Beyond the Edge" documents the epic true journey of the heroic and triumphant ascent to the top of Mount Everest in 1953 by Edmund Hillary, a modest... Read more
The Vintner's Luck (2009)
Director: Niki Caro
Starring: Vera Farmiga, Jeremie Renier, Gaspard Ulliel, Patrice Valota, Keisha Castle-Hugh...
The compelling tale of Sobran Jodeau (Jeremie Renier), an ambitious young peasant winemaker and the three loves of his life in 1808, France. His beaut... Read more
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug ( Blu-ray ) (2013)
7.9/10
Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Ian McKellen, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Orlando Bloom, Martin Freeman, Benedict...
Having survived the beginning of their unexpected journey, the Company travels East, encountering along the way the skin-changer Beorn and a swarm of... Read more
Gardening with Soul (2013)
6.7/10
Director: Jess Feast
Starring: Sister Loyola Galvin
Sister Loyola is one of the liveliest nonagenarians you could ever meet. As the main gardener at the Home of Compassion in Island Bay, Wellington, her... Read more
Chasing Great (2016)
7.1/10
Director: Justin Pemberton, Michelle Walshe
Starring: Richie McCaw
Chasing Great follows Richie McCaw through his final season as he attempts the goal of captaining the All Blacks to the first ever-back-to back Rugby... Read more
6 Days (2017)
6.2/10
Director: Toa Fraser
Starring: Mark Strong, Martin Shaw, Jamie Bell, Abbie Cornish
In April 1980, a half-dozen armed Arab separatists stormed the Iranian embassy in London and took 26 of the occupants hostage. The tense hours that fo... Read more
Perfect Creature (2007)
5.5/10
Director: Glenn Standring
Starring: Saffron Burrows, Dougray Scott, Leo Gregory, Stuart Wilson
The second film from Kiwi Glenn Standring is an ambitious vampire tale set in Nuovo Zealandia, a 1960s-style alternative to our past. The 'Brotherhood... Read more
The Fred Dagg All-Purpose DVD (2007)
Starring: John Clarke
This authorised 'Daggography' (the most important document ever discovered in New Zealand), celebrates a golden age in our nation's history beginning... Read more
The Scarecrow (1982)
7.9/10
Director: Sam Pillsbury
Starring: John Carradine, Jonathan Smith, Tracy Mann, Bruce Allpress
Based on the novel by Ronald Hugh Morrieson, the story centers around Ned Poindexter (Jonathan Smith) and his 16-year-old sister Prudence (Tracy Mann)... Read more
Mataku: Volume 1 (2002)
8.7/10
Starring: Temuera Morrison
Take a journey into the unique and mysterious world of the supernatural with 6 short dramas (13 in all over 2 volumes), presented by actor Temuera Mor... Read more